VIDEO SHOWS: FILE FOOTAGE & PHOTOS OF LIONEL MESSI & CRISTIANO RONALDO DURING THE 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 & 2022 FIFA WORLD CUPS SHOWS: 2006 FIFA WORLD CUP LIONEL MESSI NUREMBERG, GERMANY (FILE – MAY 31, 2006) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. MESSI AMONGST TEAMMATES COLLECTING LUGGAGE HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY (FILE – JUNE 8, 2006) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS – Access all) 2. MESSI DOING KEEPIE UPPIES GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY (FILE – JUNE 16, 2006) (REUTERS – Access all) (MUTE) 3. STILL PHOTO OF MESSI SCORING FOR ARGENTINA DURING THEIR GROUP C MATCH AGAINST SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY (FILE – JUNE 16, 2006) (ACTION IMAGES – Access all) (MUTE) 4. STILL PHOTO OF MESSI CELEBRATING HIS GOAL AGAINST SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO CRISTIANO RONALDO BERLIN, GERMANY (FILE – JULY 2, 2006) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS – Access all) 5. RONALDO WALKING OUT FOR TRAINING STUTTGART, GERMANY (FILE – JULY 7, 2006) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS – Access all) 6. RONALDO BALANCING BALL ON HIS HEAD BEFORE KICKING IT TO TEAMMATE WHO DOES THE SAME FRANKFURT, GERMANY (FILE – JUNE 17, 2006) (ACTION IMAGES – Access all) (MUTE) 7. STILL PHOTO OF RONALDO SCORING A PENALTY FOR PORTUGAL DURING THEIR GROUP D MATCH AGAINST IRAN FRANKFURT, GERMANY (FILE – JUNE 17, 2006) (REUTERS – Access all) (MUTE) 8. STILL PHOTO OF RONALDO CELEBRATING HIS GOAL AGAINST IRAN 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP LIONEL MESSI PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 8, 2010) (REUTERS – Access all) 9. THEN-ARGENTINA COACH DIEGO MARADONA CHATTING WITH MESSI DURING TRAINING PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 30, 2010) (REUTERS – Access all) 10. MESSI RUNNING ONTO BALL & DRIBBLING DURING A TRAINING MATCH 11. MESSI SCORING A PENALTY DURING THE TRAINING MATCH 12. MESSI AFTER SCORING THE PENALTY CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (FILE – JULY 3, 2010) (ACTION IMAGES – Access all) (MUTE) 13. STILL PHOTO OF MESSI IN ACTION DURING THEIR QUARTER-FINAL AGAINST GERMANY 14. STILL PHOTO OF MESSI LOOKING DEJECTED AFTER CONCEDING A GOAL IN WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE A 4-0 LOSS CRISTIANO RONALDO MAGALIESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (FILE – JUNE 7, 2010) (REUTERS – Access all) 15. RONALDO USING HIS SHOULDER TO PASS THE BALL 16. RONALDO DURING RONDO DRILL MAGALIESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (FILE – JUNE 13, 2010) (REUTERS – Access all) 17. RONALDO PASSING BALL IN THE AIR CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (FILE – JUNE 29, 2010) (ACTION IMAGES – Access all) (MUTE) 18. STILL PHOTO OF RONALDO IN ACTION WITH SERGIO RAMOS DURING PORTUGAL’S LAST 16 TIE AGAINST SPAIN 19. STILL PHOTO OF RONALDO REACTING DURING THE MATCH IN WHAT TURNED OUT TO A 1-0 LOSS 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP LIONEL MESSI BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL (FILE – JUNE 11, 2014) (REUTERS – Access all) 20. MESSI WALKING OUT FOR TRAINING 21. MESSI AMONGST TEAMMATES 22. MESSI GOING THROUGH PASSING DRILL RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (FILE – JULY 13, 2014) (ACTION IMAGES – Access all) (MUTE) 23. STILL PHOTO OF MESSI IN ACTION WITH MATS HUMMELS DURING THE WORLD CUP FINAL BETWEEN GERMANY & ARGENTINA 24. STILL PHOTO OF MESSI LOOKING DEJECTED AFTER THE FINAL WHICH GERMANY WON 1-0 25. STILL PHOTO OF MESSI, WITH FIFA WORLD CUP TROPHY TO HIS RIGHT, SHAKING HANDS WITH THEN-FIFA PRESIDENT SEPP BLATTER BEFORE RECEIVING HIS RUNNERS UP MEDAL CRISTIANO RONALDO FLORHAM PARK, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES (FILE – JUNE 4, 2014) (REUTERS – Access all) 26. VARIOUS OF RONALDO KICKING A BALL DURING TRAINING IN THE LEAD UP TO THE WORLD CUP CAMPINAS, BRAZIL (FILE – JUNE 20, 2014) (REUTERS – Access all) 27. RONALDO, WITH TAPING AROUND HIS INJURED KNEE, PASSING BALL 28. RONALDO WITH BALL AT FEET / RONALDO BRASILIA, BRAZIL (FILE – JUNE 26, 2014) (ACTION IMAGES – Access all) (MUTE) 29. VARIOUS STILL PHOTOS OF RONALDO LOOKING DEJECTED DURING THEIR FINAL GROUP G MATCH AGAINST GHANA WHICH THEY WON 2-1 BUT RESULTED IN THEM BEING ELIMINATED FROM THE TOURNAMENT AFTER FINISHING THIRD WITH GERMANY & THE UNITED STATES ADVANCING BRASILIA, BRAZIL (FILE – JUNE 26, 2014) (REUTERS – Access all) (MUTE) 30. STILL PHOTO OF RONALDO LOOKING DEJECTED DURING THEIR MATCH AGAINST GHANA 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP LIONEL MESSI BRONNITSY, RUSSIA (FILE – JUNE 23, 2018) (REUTERS – Access all) 31. MESSI DURING RONDO DRILL BRONNITSY, RUSSIA (FILE – JUNE 24, 2018) (REUTERS – Access all) 32. VARIOUS OF MESSI DURING RONDO DRILL KAZAN, RUSSIA (FILE – JUNE 30, 2018) (REUTERS – Access all) (MUTE) 33. STILL PHOTO OF MESSI IN ACTION FOR ARGENTINA WITH FRANCE’S RAPHAEL VARANE DURING THEIR LAST 16 MATCH 34. STILL PHOTO OF MESSI DURING THE MATCH 35. STILL PHOTO OF MESSI LOOKING DEJECTED IN WHAT WOULD BE A 4-3 LOSS CRISTIANO RONALDO KRATOVO, RUSSIA (FILE – JUNE 13, 2018) (REUTERS – Access all) 36. VARIOUS OF RONALDO PASSING THE BALL IN THE AIR WITH TEAMMATES KRATOVO, RUSSIA (FILE – JUNE 10, 2018) (REUTERS – Access all) 37. RONALDO WATCHING ON DURING TRAINING KRATOVO, RUSSIA (FILE – JUNE 24, 2018) (REUTERS – Access all) 38. RONALDO DURING RONDO DRILL SOCHI, RUSSIA (FILE – JUNE 30, 2018) (REUTERS – Access all) (MUTE) 39. STILL PHOTO OF RONALDO TAKING A SHOT AT GOAL DURING PORTUGAL’S LAST 16 MATCH AGAINST URUGUAY 40. STILL PHOTO OF RONALDO LOOKING DEJECTED DURING THE MATCH 41. STILL PHOTO OF RONALDO LEAVING THE PITCH AFTER WHAT WAS A 2-1 LOSS 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP CRISTIANO RONALDO AL SHAHANIYA, QATAR (FILE – DECEMBER 8, 2022) (REUTERS – Access all) 42. RONALDO PASSING THE BALL BACK & FORTH IN THE AIR 43. RONALDO WALKING & SMILING 44. RONALDO DURING TRAINING MATCH AL SHEHANIYA, QATAR (FILE – NOVEMBER 20, 2022) (REUTERS – Access all) 45. RONALDO AMONGST TEAMMATES DURING PASSING DRILL AL SHEHANIYA, QATAR (FILE – NOVEMBER 21, 2022) (REUTERS – Access all) 46. BALL / RONALDO DOHA, QATAR (FILE – DECEMBER 10, 2022) (REUTERS – Access all) (MUTE) 47. STILL PHOTO OF RONALDO GOING DOWN FROM A CHALLENGE AGAINST MOROCCO DURING THEIR QUARTER-FINAL MATCH 48. STILL PHOTO OF RONALDO REACTING DURING THE MATCH 49. STILL PHOTO OF MOROCCO PLAYERS CELEBRATING AFTER THEIR 1-0 WIN OVER PORTUGAL WITH RONALDO WALKING IN FRONT OF THEM 50. STILL PHOTO OF RONALDO 51. STILL PHOTO OF RONALDO WITH MOROCCO PLAYERS AFTER THE MATCH LIONEL MESSI DOHA, QATAR (FILE – DECEMBER 5, 2022) (REUTERS – Access all) 52. VARIOUS OF MESSI GOING THROUGH PASSING & WARMING UP DRILLS DOHA, QATAR (FILE – DECEMBER 6, 2022) (REUTERS – Access all) 53. MESSI GOING THROUGH WARM-UP DRILL LUSAIL, QATAR (FILE – DECEMBER 18, 2022) (REUTERS – Access all) (MUTE) 54. VARIOUS STILL PHOTOS OF MESSI SCORING TWICE & CELEBRATING DURING THE FINAL AGAINST FRANCE 55. STILL PHOTO OF MESSI CELEBRATING WITH TEAMMATE LEANDRO PAREDES AFTER ARGENTINA BEAT FRANCE 4-2 ON PENALTIES FOLLOWING A 3-3 DRAW AFTER EXTRA TIME 56. STILL PHOTO OF MESSI KISSING THE WORLD CUP TROPHY WHILE HOLDING THE GOLDEN BALL TROPHY 57. VARIOUS STILL PHOTOS OF MESSI LIFTING THE WORLD CUP TROPHY AMONGST HIS TEAMMATES STORY: Two adjacent transparent bins in London became the venue for a silent but heated debate in 2015, with smokers depositing their stubbed-out butts to settle a burning question: who was the best soccer player in the world, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? As a way to encourage people to use bins for their butts, the biggest career rivalry in 21st-century soccer proved to be an effective conduit. A decade on, however, the debate still rages as the duo head towards becoming the first men to appear in six World Cups. Ronaldo and Messi have each scored more than 800 goals for club and country, winning nine Champions Leagues and 13 Ballon d'Or trophies between them. Messi's fans argue that his World Cup triumph for Argentina in 2022 puts him top of the pile but Ronaldo-worshipers cite his titles across Europe's major leagues, a tally of 954 goals, including 143 for his country, and being the most-capped male international footballer with 226 appearances for Portugal. Next year's tournament in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, when Ronaldo will be 41 and Messi turns 39, will surel…
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